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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · hide · bat · rash · plane · cold · season · patient

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bat — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — of the year
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — a tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com